I was just reading the Bolivia page on the Operation World website, a site dedicated to helping Christians know how to pray for mission work around the world. Even though I've been involved in mission work to Bolivia for over a year now, there are some facts that continue to shock me and remind me of the need for prayer.
Some things that stood out to me:
-Even though the literacy rate is 77%, the "functional literacy" rate is less than 50%.
-The drug trade is a growing problem in Bolivia, and, due to diplomatic tensions between Bolivia and the US, the DEA was expelled about a year ago. And, while I completely agree that the drug trade needs to be eradicated, it's easy to see why there is so much resistance. When you are a poor farmer, it is hard to see how growing bananas is going to support your family as well as growing coca would.
-Over 80% of children live in extreme poverty, and over 80,000 are known to be addicted to drugs.
Not all of the facts are depressing, though. The evangelical church has a growing presence in Bolivia, despite the challenges it faces. In fact, the Bolivian church is even sending missionaries to places like the Middle East (see the blog post I wrote a few months ago about how Hospitals of Hope is helping with this). God is at work in Bolivia, and he is using his people to carry out that work.
If you get a chance, check out the Operation World site and take some time to pray about what you read there, as well as for our staff, volunteers, and patients in Bolivia.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Missions and the Economy
I recently read this post from John Piper's blog, in which he argues that "the worst of all times is the best of all times for missions." This is so, he says, for four reasons:
1) because tough economic times force us to be more dependent on God,
2) because our impact is increased when people see that we have sacrificed to serve them,
3) because people are more receptive when they see how uncertain life is, and
4) because difficult economic circumstances can make us more aware that material possessions don't possess true value, inspiring us to be more generous with what we have.
There is a lot of truth in what Piper says here. While the state of the economy is scary for just about all of us, frequently the most difficult circumstances are the ones that God uses to make the biggest impact. When we trust in Him, rather than ourselves, we frequently find that the results are beyond what we could have dreamed. He is, after all, "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).
Actually, it seems that frequently our possessions get in the way of our generosity. Studies have shown that lower-income Americans consistently give a greater percentage of their income that those with higher incomes. When we have less, we know that we're trusting God for everything anyway, and we're less inclined to rest in the security of our possessions. We're more inclined to be like the widow in Mark 12:41-44, who gave all that she had to live on, trusting that God would provide.
Not only do difficult economic circumstances change our attitude and actions, but, like Piper says, they open doors for ministry that would otherwise remain closed. While stepping out in faith to do missions is frightening, we can rest assured that God will use our sacrifices.
I certainly hope that the economic climate improves soon, but, in the meantime, I don't want to waste the opportunities that we are being presented with. Whether or not the worst of times economically are really the best of times for missions, they are the circumstances we have been given. And God is faithful, in the worst of times and the best of times.
1) because tough economic times force us to be more dependent on God,
2) because our impact is increased when people see that we have sacrificed to serve them,
3) because people are more receptive when they see how uncertain life is, and
4) because difficult economic circumstances can make us more aware that material possessions don't possess true value, inspiring us to be more generous with what we have.
There is a lot of truth in what Piper says here. While the state of the economy is scary for just about all of us, frequently the most difficult circumstances are the ones that God uses to make the biggest impact. When we trust in Him, rather than ourselves, we frequently find that the results are beyond what we could have dreamed. He is, after all, "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).
Actually, it seems that frequently our possessions get in the way of our generosity. Studies have shown that lower-income Americans consistently give a greater percentage of their income that those with higher incomes. When we have less, we know that we're trusting God for everything anyway, and we're less inclined to rest in the security of our possessions. We're more inclined to be like the widow in Mark 12:41-44, who gave all that she had to live on, trusting that God would provide.
Not only do difficult economic circumstances change our attitude and actions, but, like Piper says, they open doors for ministry that would otherwise remain closed. While stepping out in faith to do missions is frightening, we can rest assured that God will use our sacrifices.
I certainly hope that the economic climate improves soon, but, in the meantime, I don't want to waste the opportunities that we are being presented with. Whether or not the worst of times economically are really the best of times for missions, they are the circumstances we have been given. And God is faithful, in the worst of times and the best of times.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Concert of Hope featuring Waterdeep on Oct. 16
On October 16, Hospitals of Hope will hold its 2nd annual benefit concert to support our international medical mission work. This year’s concert will feature popular Christian band Waterdeep, talented singer/songwriter Justin McRoberts, and SHEL, a neo-acoustic quartet of sisters.
Tickets, which are $12 or $10 each for groups of 10 or more, can be purchased online at http://hospitalsofhope.org/concert.htm or at the door the night of the concert. The concert will be held at Maranatha Worship Center, at 888 S. Webb Road in Wichita. Doors open at 6:30, and the concert will begin at 7:30. For more information, contact the Hospitals of Hope office at 316.262.0964 or via email at info@hospitalsofhope.org.
Waterdeep, composed of husband and wife team Don and Lori Chaffer, is an independent Christian band which recently moved to Nashville, TN from the Kansas City area. Formed in 1995, Waterdeep has included several other musicians over the years and has released over ten albums. Waterdeep is best known for a joint project with 100 Portraits that yielded the worship album Enter the Worship Circle— reported by some media outlets as the biggest-selling independent Christian album of all time. Released in 1999, it included original worship songs such as “You Are So Good To Me,” “I Will Not Forget You,” and “You Have Redeemed My Soul.”
Justin McRoberts is a highly respected singer, songwriter and speaker who has carved out a niche for himself in the independent music scene. He is one of those rare artists who blends artistry, honesty and humor almost seamlessly. McRoberts’ most recent release, Deconstruction (2008), is laden with the same disarming honesty he is known for both in his recordings as well as his live performances.
Shel, of Ft Collins, Colorado, glides effortlessly atop the lilting, sublime voices of the Holbrook sisters, Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza. But Shel's appeal goes way beyond the vocals. These gals are exceptional musicians as well, with each member playing an array of instruments including violin, electric bass, piano, mandolin to drums.
Tickets, which are $12 or $10 each for groups of 10 or more, can be purchased online at http://hospitalsofhope.org/concert.htm or at the door the night of the concert. The concert will be held at Maranatha Worship Center, at 888 S. Webb Road in Wichita. Doors open at 6:30, and the concert will begin at 7:30. For more information, contact the Hospitals of Hope office at 316.262.0964 or via email at info@hospitalsofhope.org.
Waterdeep, composed of husband and wife team Don and Lori Chaffer, is an independent Christian band which recently moved to Nashville, TN from the Kansas City area. Formed in 1995, Waterdeep has included several other musicians over the years and has released over ten albums. Waterdeep is best known for a joint project with 100 Portraits that yielded the worship album Enter the Worship Circle— reported by some media outlets as the biggest-selling independent Christian album of all time. Released in 1999, it included original worship songs such as “You Are So Good To Me,” “I Will Not Forget You,” and “You Have Redeemed My Soul.”
Justin McRoberts is a highly respected singer, songwriter and speaker who has carved out a niche for himself in the independent music scene. He is one of those rare artists who blends artistry, honesty and humor almost seamlessly. McRoberts’ most recent release, Deconstruction (2008), is laden with the same disarming honesty he is known for both in his recordings as well as his live performances.
Shel, of Ft Collins, Colorado, glides effortlessly atop the lilting, sublime voices of the Holbrook sisters, Sarah, Hannah, Eva and Liza. But Shel's appeal goes way beyond the vocals. These gals are exceptional musicians as well, with each member playing an array of instruments including violin, electric bass, piano, mandolin to drums.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Both dire need, reasons for hope in Liberia
The woman who came into the ER didn’t have anything obviously wrong with her. Although she told the staff she thought her leg was broken, there were no bones protruding from the skin, and her leg looked relatively normal. The injury, she told them, had happened months before. First, she had tried visiting a “country doctor”—a practitioner of traditional medicine—who had subjected her leg to a regimen of daily massage. Finally, when his treatments made no difference, she came to the hospital.
Because of a power surge a month before, the hospital had been left without a functioning x-ray machine, but there was another hospital nearby that had one, and a couple of days later, they were able to transport the woman there for x-rays. They found that her leg had, indeed, been broken severely, but, because she had waited so long to come in for treatment, the bones had already begun to re-calcify at a sharp angle, requiring major surgery to repair the damage.
This is one of the many cases the Hospitals of Hope team saw in Liberia during their trip there in August. They worked primarily at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, the referral center for the entire country—which makes its lack of a functioning x-ray machine especially problematic.
While JFK was once a top-notch facility, currently only 1 of its 5 floors is in use, due to the devastation wreaked by Liberia’s civil war. While many organizations and foreign governments are working to help repair the damage, work at JFK faces several challenges.
A couple of the primary problems with re-development are the poor quality of some donations and the lack of infrastructure to receive the donations. When the Hospitals of Hope team arrived, they found that another aid organization had recently sent two sets of surgical lights—but they had neglected to include the controllers for the lights, which left these expensive pieces of equipment useless. In addition to this, our team found that the hospital did not have enough qualified staff to process all of the donations they had received—leaving many useful items stuck in storage because no one had had the time to sort through them.
We avoided these problems with the shipment we sent earlier this year by carefully considering the hospital’s needs before sending the items and by sending the team in August to install them. Our team was able to install patient monitors, ventilators, and other equipment and train the hospital staff how to use them properly. The hospital was grateful for their work, and one hospital administrator even commented that we are the first organization to send good, quality items and that, on top of that, we even came to install them.
In addition to installing equipment, the team treated patients at JFK and at another nearby hospital and completed staff training in everything from sepsis to anesthesia. This kind of work is crucial in Liberia, since many doctors fled during the civil war and many of those who remain lack training. Without sufficient doctors or proper training, patients will continue to receive poor care, no matter how many x-ray machines are available.
While this situation may seem bleak, the team was able to see improvements from last year. JFK is almost ready to open up three new patient wings, and the country's infrastructure is steadily improving. Life expectancy has increased significantly in Liberia in the years since the civil war, and it has now reached 56—still low, but climbing.
Hospitals of Hope is making a difference in Liberia, and it is your support that makes this possible. Thank you for helping to bring hope in a country that has seen so much despair.
Because of a power surge a month before, the hospital had been left without a functioning x-ray machine, but there was another hospital nearby that had one, and a couple of days later, they were able to transport the woman there for x-rays. They found that her leg had, indeed, been broken severely, but, because she had waited so long to come in for treatment, the bones had already begun to re-calcify at a sharp angle, requiring major surgery to repair the damage.
This is one of the many cases the Hospitals of Hope team saw in Liberia during their trip there in August. They worked primarily at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, the referral center for the entire country—which makes its lack of a functioning x-ray machine especially problematic.
While JFK was once a top-notch facility, currently only 1 of its 5 floors is in use, due to the devastation wreaked by Liberia’s civil war. While many organizations and foreign governments are working to help repair the damage, work at JFK faces several challenges.
A couple of the primary problems with re-development are the poor quality of some donations and the lack of infrastructure to receive the donations. When the Hospitals of Hope team arrived, they found that another aid organization had recently sent two sets of surgical lights—but they had neglected to include the controllers for the lights, which left these expensive pieces of equipment useless. In addition to this, our team found that the hospital did not have enough qualified staff to process all of the donations they had received—leaving many useful items stuck in storage because no one had had the time to sort through them.
We avoided these problems with the shipment we sent earlier this year by carefully considering the hospital’s needs before sending the items and by sending the team in August to install them. Our team was able to install patient monitors, ventilators, and other equipment and train the hospital staff how to use them properly. The hospital was grateful for their work, and one hospital administrator even commented that we are the first organization to send good, quality items and that, on top of that, we even came to install them.
In addition to installing equipment, the team treated patients at JFK and at another nearby hospital and completed staff training in everything from sepsis to anesthesia. This kind of work is crucial in Liberia, since many doctors fled during the civil war and many of those who remain lack training. Without sufficient doctors or proper training, patients will continue to receive poor care, no matter how many x-ray machines are available.
While this situation may seem bleak, the team was able to see improvements from last year. JFK is almost ready to open up three new patient wings, and the country's infrastructure is steadily improving. Life expectancy has increased significantly in Liberia in the years since the civil war, and it has now reached 56—still low, but climbing.
Hospitals of Hope is making a difference in Liberia, and it is your support that makes this possible. Thank you for helping to bring hope in a country that has seen so much despair.
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